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There are a lot of good reasons to learn Afrikaans.
Commonly used in South Africa and Namibia, as well as other Southern African and international communities, it has 17 million speakers in total. Being a creole language, it bears a close resemblance to its parent language, Dutch.
Should you want to study this—whether for school, work, or travel—one of the best ways to start is by getting an Afrikaans learning app!
That said, popular ones like Rosetta Stone are bound to pop up on your search bar. But, before you hit install, let’s find out a little more about this well-known platform:
What is Rosetta Stone?
Rosetta Stone doesn’t just teach new languages, it helps users master them.
Using its unique, Dynamic Immersion method, this platform has users engage with texts, quizzes, and media files using their target language. In this sense, you’ll learn how to read, write, and speak in real-world contexts. Pretty neat, right?
Furthermore, it allows you to customize Your Plan, such that your courses are made appropriate for your skill level, goals, and personal schedule. That way, you’ll get tailor-fitted lessons based on the four categories they offer: Basics & Beyond, Travel, Work, and Family.
All in all, this app and website will provide you with bite-sized, interactive, and substantial tutorials to suit all of your needs! With its dynamic features and TruAccent speech recognition technology, you simply can’t go wrong with this.
Unfortunately, for now, there is no course for Afrikaans on Rosetta Stone, Babbel, Pimsleur, or even Duolingo. But don’t worry, because you’ve still got plenty of close Rosetta Stone alternatives to check out, starting with these:
The best Rosetta Stone alternatives
Currently, Rosetta Stone Afrikaans is not available. However, you’re not completely at a loss, because there are plenty of Afrikaans learning apps out there for you to consider!
Given their flexibility and high-quality features, we recommend these three in particular:
1. Mondly
Mondly is an interactive language learning platform that makes a great Rosetta Stone alternative. Light and engaging, its core lessons suit learners of any skill level—beginner, intermediate, or advanced!
An interesting feature of Mondly is its hands-free learning mode, which allows users to tune into their courses anytime and anywhere they wish. This means that even while you’re commuting or doing chores, you can still gain full access to your daily lessons!
Other than that, this app is equipped with fun tutorials and assessments on reading, writing, and speaking Afrikaans.
Key features:
- Develops your vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation
- Learn words and phrases from audio (recorded by native speakers)
- Has a hands-free mode for studying on the go
2. Ling
You’ve got to love Master Ling! With playful courses, flashcards, and a neat chatbot in store, it’s just about a great platform to start with.
Ling primarily teaches Afrikaans using mini-games. So, should you like picture matching, sentence arrangement, or other interactive exercises, it’ll definitely keep you on your toes!
The app features content for all levels of fluency. If you’d like to gain access to more lessons, have a look at its Pro version!Â
Key features:
- Dynamic user interface
- Courses for beginners and up
- Has an interactive chatbot for conversation practice
3. Simply Learn Afrikaans
Try the Simply Learn Afrikaans app
Simply Learn Afrikaans is essentially an Afrikaans phrasebook. However, as simple as it is, it should not be underestimated!
Whether you’re asking for directions or are hoping to start a conversation, this app will surely come in handy. Complete with flashcards, audio files, and a quick-search function, it’s just the right thing to keep around!
Use this as a study companion; You’ll never know how many words and phrases you’ll pick up along the way!
Key features:
- Improves your vocabulary through flashcards
- High-quality audio
- Best used as a quick reference
Other great resources to learn Afrikaans
Aside from using these amazing apps, you can learn Afrikaans with other online resources! Take a look at these websites, books to learn Afrikaans, podcasts, and tutoring platforms we’ve gathered so far:
italki: Looking for an Afrikaans tutor? italki’s got you! Here, you can arrange online classes with community and/or professional instructors at affordable rates.
Clozemaster: If you love language games, then Clozemaster will give you a great challenge! Not only can you track your progress, but you can likewise compete with your friends.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- McDermott, Lydia (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 368 Pages – 04/13/2012 (Publication Date) – Teach Yourself (Publisher)
Complete Afrikaans: The name says it all! This textbook contains essential Afrikaans vocabulary, grammar tips, pronunciation guides, and everyday dialogues that best suit new students. On top of that, it also comes with fun exercises.
Forvo: Forvo functions as a pronunciation dictionary. Use this when you’re having trouble reading out certain words and phrases.
Cudoo: Upgrade your Afrikaans skills with Cudoo’s courses that focus on vocabulary learning, conversational confidence-building, and the introduction of pronunciation. There’s also a Business Afrikaans course. Regardless of the course you choose, you get a certificate upon completing it!
Teach Me Afrikaans: Teach Me Afrikaans is a lovely YouTube channel that helps build your vocabulary. Its videos tackle common words and phrases, such as those used in telling the date and time, weather, slang, and the like.
AfrikaansPod101: Get comprehensive podcast lessons, slowed-down audio, and line-by-line transcripts in AfrikaansPod101! With an upgraded plan, you can even get a personal tutor.
EasyAfrikaans.com: Easy Afrikaans is a free website that grants you access to its vocabulary and grammar tutorials. Simple and accessible, students and tourists alike can benefit from its condensed courses.
Conclusion
Rosetta Stone, indeed, is a very good language platform, provided its extensive background in flexible and practical learning. However, since Afrikaans isn’t currently being offered as a course, you ought to find yourself another app.
Fortunately, you’ve got plenty of alternatives (and additional resources) with comprehensive lessons, excellent features, and dynamic user interfaces to spare!